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Then, the interview took a very dark turn. Emerson, who on Friday is scheduled to compete against Joe Taimanglo on the preliminary card of Bellator 116 at California’s Pechanga Resort and Casino, spoke about a running feud with UFC flyweight Ian McCall and made a very serious accusation.

With his gaze cast downward, Emerson seethed over McCall and said he was indirectly responsible for the death of Shane del Rosario, the UFC heavyweight who suddenly passed away this past December.

“Shane was my best friend – we were all friends – and there’s a lot of facts and stuff that I’m not going to bring up, but I hold him indirectly responsible for what happened to Shane,” Emerson said.

Del Rosario, who lived in Newport Beach, Calif., died from natural causes, including complications from a rare heart disorder. But a trio of illegal drugs also were found in his system and contributed to his death, according to a coroner’s office.

McCall shared an apartment with Del Rosario and reportedly found the fighter unconscious. Del Rosario, who had recently withdrawn from a UFC 168 fight with Guto Inocente, was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced brain-dead on Dec. 3.

Jason House, who manages McCall and also repped Del Rosario, declined comment through an associate when contacted Monday by MMAjunkie.

Emerson and McCall once trained together in Southern California at Team Oyama. But this past year, their relationship took a nasty turn when McCall on Twitter accused Emerson of sleeping with his wife.

I didn't know that Emerson had a connection to both McCall and Del Rosario. And was even more ignorant of the feud between the two sparked by McCall's accusation whether it be true or not.

This accusation that Emerson let out is both startling and sad. I don't know if McCall was truly the indirect culprit of Del Rosario's death, but an accusation like this isn't one to be thrown around lightly. Emerson stated there were facts he wouldn't bring up, and I can't help but wonder if it would incriminate everyone including himself if he let these facts be known.

It's especially sad because if they were both good friends with Del Rosario, I would like to believe he wouldn't want them carrying a grudge like this. Then again, I don't know this for sure. It's my opinion that saying something like this through a media outlet is irrational, and it's likely he's still hurt from the loss of a close friend. Yes it makes for an attention-grabbing headline, but it could come at the cost of ruining someone's credibility. Until these facts he mentioned are brought to light, it's an unsavory tactic to employ. I'd rather read a million articles of Dana White's disappointing "good news" than an article like this.

I find few things more contemptible then when someone spouts off a variation of "I've got a secret." The public's imagination is infinitely worse than reality, and he can do terrible damage to McCall's reputation without actually committing libel. That's passive-aggressive, manipulative, and weak.

Although, coming from a guy with Emerson's past, I guess I shouldn't have expected anything better.

rh

All manner of men came to work for the News: everything from wild young Turks who wanted to rip the world in half and start all over again -- to tired, beer-bellied old hacks who wanted nothing more than to live out their days in peace before a bunch of lunatics ripped the world in half.

I find few things more contemptible then when someone spouts off a variation of "I've got a secret." The public's imagination is infinitely worse than reality, and he can do terrible damage to McCall's reputation without actually committing libel. That's passive-aggressive, manipulative, and weak.

Although, coming from a guy with Emerson's past, I guess I shouldn't have expected anything better.

rh

I feel like the general reaction from fans though is that Emerson is being a jackass. I don't think anyone is thinking terrible things about Mccall now.